The Globe & Mail recently launched a series in its Life Section, called the Opening Minds Series. One of its most compelling articles was on building a case for publicly funded therapy. Journalist Erin Anderssen explores why psychotherapy is not publicly funded and questions it when the statistics show that 1 in 5 Canadians experience a mental health crisis in their lifetime and over $50 billion a year is spent on supporting Canadians with mental health concerns. Furthermore, "Canadian physicians bill provincial governments $1-billion a year for “counselling and psychotherapy” – one third of which goes to family doctors – a service many of them acknowledge they are not best suited to provide" (Anderssen, 2015).

​The article helps to reveal compelling research that shows the benefits of psychotherapy in assisting Canadians rebuild their lives after being affected by mental health and the evidence shows it is just as effective as using pharmaceuticals alone. While no particular therapeutic approach stands out as the most effective in assisting clients with mental health concerns, the most important take away is that clients benefit from psychotherapy because its beneficial to have an advocate to help them navigate their concerns. Contrary to Western society's belief that we can conquer our own challenges alone, those battling mental health concerns need advocates and supports in place to help them feel they are not alone in their recovery. Trained therapists can also offer professional third party guidance in navigating mental health concerns with different strategies customized to the clients needs. Here's to hoping that Canada in the future will provide some basic coverage for mental health challenges.